Closure for containing vessels



B. w. RIVERS. CLOSURE FOR CONTAINING VESSELS.

APPLICAT ION FI LED MAR. 27,1919- RENEWED JULY 14. I920.

1,365,274. Patented Jan. 11,1921.

am inw Five 75.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

, BENJAMIN w. RIvERs, or PORTLAND, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, 3y MEsNE AssIcNMENTs, To NATIONAL SEAL COMPANY, me, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

CLOSURE FOR CONTAINING VESSELS.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

Original application filed December 18, 1912, Serial No. 207,785. Divided and this application filed March 27, 1919,,Serial No. 285,418. Renewed July 14, 1920. SeriaINo. 396,333,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN W. RIVERS, a citizen of the United States, residing'at Portland, county of Cumberland, State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Containing Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The invention involved in this case relates to certain improvements in closures for containing vessels, the same being divisional matter of my previous application, Serial No. 207,785, filed Dec. 18, 1917.

The object of the present improvements is to increase the sealing contact and to produce a more perfect sea'l under varying con ditions incident to the use of such articles.

In any closure which is to be used on containers for volatile or liquid content, great difiiculty has been experienced both in securing perfection of seal at the time-of original sealing and in permanency of that perfection under subsequent shrinkage of the compressible pack of the cap or results of opening and closing during the display of the goods as is frequently a necessity or an incident to their sale.

As illustrative of my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawin s embodiments found practical in'manu acture and use andwhich I will more fully describe and discuss in the specification which follows.

In the drawings and specification like reference numerals are employed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings: Figure 1 is a view of a closure on the mouth of a container before tightening. Fig. 2 is a similar view tightened. Fig. 3=is a lower face view of the closure. Fig. 4 a plan view of the container mouth. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 details showing successive stages of engagement illustrating characteristic adjustment.

Figs. 8 and 9side and end views of the closure lug.

vided below its mouth 2 with a suitable' number of lugs 3 according to the size of the container mouth to afford suitable bearing for the cap.

The closure 4 comprises a top disk 5 which is normally slightly dished or concaved as appears in Fig. 6 and 7. Depending from the top 5 is an annularskirt 6 which is preferablyknurled. This skirt 6- terminates in segmental inturned lips 7. These lips 7 are of greater length than the lugs 3 and in effect subtend an inclosing arc of the adj acent skirt 6 in somewhat of a truss arran ement. They thus have when drawn un er the lugs 3 a strong drawing down action on margins of the top 5 included by or adjacent to the arcs subtendedby the' lips 7.

This action is an important one as tightness and uniformity of seal is important and even indispensable in preserving the usual container contents.

It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the hearing of the top 5 and that of its underlying pack 8 is on the mouth 2 somewhat within the skirt 6. In order to make the bearing of these parts as direct and complete as possible under the marginal strain of the lug engagement of the lips 7 so that under the sealing strain it may yieldingly seat on the mouth 2 with completeness of contact.

In drawing down such a cap or closure, the mouth of the vessel, which is preferably rounded on its outer edge, as indicated at 2 v constitutes a sort of annular fulcrum over ment the resilience of the lip z lugs of the closure, and some slight variaions even in the seals themselves, it is important to have these factors of adjustment.

In my closure and container therefor, l 'ovide for further potential adjustment.

il'lQ skirt in one sense is a rigid wail, yet in another sense, it does have a slight potential ciipansiveness.

:l oth of these tendencies tend to supplein drawing under the lugs The take up in the slightly dished top has already been plained. The lateral expansion and adjustment of the skirt (3 permits the inturned lips 7 to stand both at a slight angle to the horizontal and also to engage a higher level on the lug 3 in case the pack is thicker than normal. These adjustments, either single or combined, constitute that factor which is-necessary in commercial production to assure tightness of seal.

The lugs 3 have preferably a somewhat extended under bearing surface 3 although being preferably comparatively shorter than the lips 7. The desired construction being of a length of lug which will give a slightly extended bearing on its surface3 to the engaged area of the lip 7' so that while giving full adjusting movement it will not tend to buckle the lip locally.

The end of the lug 3 is provided with a lead 3 with which the advancing end of the lip 7 may progressively engage as it is guided under stress to the bearing face 3 Each lip 7 is furthermore provided with a stop 9 formed by an indentation in the following endof the lip 7.

'l he lug 3 has been referred to as having a substantially flat lower bearing surface as appears in the enlarged views in Fig. 8. .ihis surface is preferably not a truly horizontal surface but is very slightly pitched downward giving a slightly increased tension to the inner edgeof the lip? and at the same time affording a convenient draft for the removal of the mold members. This is indicated in Figs. 8 and 9 at 3 The lug 3 is further provided at its forward end with a rounded lead 3 which affords a progressive engagement with the lip 7 and a non-chip-- ping contact with the stop 9.

it will be noted that the dished construction is indicated in somewhat exa 'gerated form but it may be variously modi ed both in degree and form.

Various other modifications may bemade in the structure of the cap and in the container mouth, all without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claims.

W'hat ll therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a container having awn-annular mouth and external engageablecrum it on 'adial lines across said vessel mouth.

2. A closure for a container having an annular mouth and external engageable members on said container below said mouth and lying radially beyond the mouth, comprising a resilient cap disk of greater diameter than said mouth, .and adapted to project radially across the mouth in substantially radial symmetry from its center, container engaging members on said projecting edges of said cap disk adapted upon engagement with said engageable members on the container to exert a drawing down effect on the overhanging cap margin to fulcrum it on radial lines across said vessel mouth.

3. A closure for a container having an annular mouth and external engageable members on said container below said mouth and lying radially. beyond the mouth, comprising a resilient cap disk of greater di ameter than said mouth, and adapted to project radially across the mouth in substantially radial symmetry from its center, adapted upon engagement with said engageable members on thccontainer to exert a drawing down effect on the overhanging cap margin to fulcrum it on radial lines across said vessel mouth.

4e. A closure for a container having an annular mouth comprising a resilient disk adapted to overlie said mouth and including i annular mouth comprising a resilient disk adapted to overlie said mouth and including an annular marginal portion of upward flare and disposed so as to overlie said mouth and project beyond to form an overhanging margin of leverage radially across the container mouth and interengaging members on the cap margin and container for drawing down said cap under stress on lines of radial leverage of said cap radially across said cap on said mouth as a fulcrum.

6. A closure for a container, comprising a surface into sealing contact with the vessel 1 yieldable cap adapted to fulcrum on the mouth. container m0uth, the top surface of the cup In testimony whereof I ntfix my signature Within said fulcrum concaved to permit the in presence of two witnesses. V (up to be stressed, and beyond sald fu l- BENJAMIN i RIVERS cium extending as a radial area of lewelage, and containerengaging devices on the cap \Vitnesses: for applying-downwardly directed force to ELIZA BARNARD, said area of leverage to stress said concaved EDWARD C. REYNOLDS. 

